


Take Me Home

by ThatRavenHairedGirl



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate History, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst, F/F, Historical Inaccuracy, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Unspecified Setting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-06-23 00:28:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15594225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatRavenHairedGirl/pseuds/ThatRavenHairedGirl
Summary: Waverly and Wynonna are sent away from Purgatory after the incident at the homestead. Years later, Waverly is on her own in a frightening situation, desperate for a way to get back home to her remaining family members. The only thing that she has left to hold on to is a cryptic note promising that she will be saved.She is nearly ready to give up on ever seeing her sister again when a mysterious woman shows up and offers to save her, while seemingly expecting nothing in return. But who is she, and what does she really want with Waverly?After all, everything comes with a price...





	1. The Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks! This is my first ever fic, so please feel free to comment your thoughts about it below. Any praise or criticism is welcome.

The bar was cold and dark, lit only by the first tendrils of sunrise. The whole town still slept, and not a soul walked the streets. It was a beautiful time of day, Waverly mused, pausing to push back the lock of hair that had escaped the pins that held the rest of her long brown hair off of her face and neck. She sighed, allowing herself to stare outside through the window that she was scrubbing. Somewhere, somewhere out there Wynonna was wreaking havoc and getting closer to exacting revenge for the tragedy that split apart their family. And Gus was probably with her, trying to rein her in and lend a voice of reason to counter Wynonna’s hot temper. They had to be out there, Waverly just knew it. Wynonna hadn’t written for three years because she was busy, and Gus had left without saying goodbye because Wynonna needed her help. She had to believe that, because the only other option was…

Waverly shifted, and the bucket of soapy water that had sat forgotten beside her tipped over, spilling all over her and leaving a puddle on the floor around her. “Dammit!” Waverly looked down at herself, and saw that her faded blue dress was completely soaked, clinging tightly against her, the cold water sending a chill into her bones. Utterly distracted by the cold and the frustration at herself for the mess she’d caused, Waverly failed to hear the front door of the bar open. She stood, intending to go to her room upstairs to change out of her dress, but as she tried to take a step forward, her foot got caught on the hem of of her skirt and she slipped on the wet floor. She fell backwards, careening toward the ground, when a pair of strong arms caught her, pulling her up onto her feet but not quite setting her down. Instead, she was wrapped in a gentle embrace, pressed against a body that felt surprisingly soft against her.

“Well that’s quite a mess you’ve got yourself in, sweetheart.” The voice was low and husky, but laced with a warmth that Waverly hadn’t heard directed at her in far too long. It certainly didn’t sound like one of _them_ , but she really couldn’t be sure. Slowly, Waverly raised her hazel eyes to meet deep brown ones, and her breath caught in her throat.

The woman staring down at her seemed to have a similar reaction, regarding her with wide eyes for a few seconds before clearing her throat and saying, “Should I set you down now? Are you able to stand?”

The woman’s words broke the spell, and instead of answering her Waverly stepped backwards out of the hold of the arms that had caught her. Or she tried to, but it seemed that the universe was intent on making her look like a complete fool in front of this beautiful, alluring stranger. So of course she slipped, and of course she was caught again before she could fall too far.

As before, she found herself staring up at those same brown eyes. The woman chuckled, and her mouth curled into a smile that dimpled her cheeks. “Well, I guess I’ll take that as a ‘no’. I see you aren’t much of a talker.”

“I am generally quite talkative, actually.” Waverly’s voice brimmed with indignation, not once had she been accused of being too _quiet._ “I just seem to be having some trouble finding my words today.”

The woman’s smile only grew wider. “I tend to have that effect on a lot of folks, but I am quite flattered to be making a woman as beautiful as yourself speechless.”

Waverly was still trying to put together a response to _that_ remark when the woman spoke again. “Is there anything here for you to change into? Your current dress is probably not suitable for being in public.”

“I- yes, I live upstairs, all of my clothes are there.” Waverly felt the beginning of a blush creeping onto her cheeks, surely from the embarrassment of the situation.

The woman nodded and turned toward the staircase at the back of the bar, dropping one hand to her side and moving the other to Waverly’s waist, gently guiding her forward. And it was a good thing that Waverly had something holding her up, because her legs felt as if they had turned to jelly.

Waverly was guided up the rickety wooden stairs and up into a narrow hallway that contained two storage rooms (one of which had previously belonged to Shorty) and her room. Then the woman turned to Waverly, raising an eyebrow in an unspoken question.

“It’s the second door on the left, just at the end of the hallway.” A curt nod was the only response she received before she was carefully piloted toward the door that she had indicated. Waverly reached for the small pouch she kept around her neck, pulling out a small brass key.

“I suppose I will be taking my leave then. Good day, Ma’am.”  The stranger tipped her hat and turned to leave.

“No!” The woman turned slowly on her heel, quirking an eyebrow once again. “I mean, you don’t have to leave just yet.”

“And why would you be wanting me to stay, miss? Surely a woman such as yourself has work to do and people to see.” Her voice was gentle, questioning rather than accusing.

“Well, I reckon that I do have work to do, but I haven’t really spoken to anyone since my aunt left. At least, not like this.”

The taller woman took a few steps back toward Waverly. “And what would you be meaning by that?”

Waverly gulped, unsure as to how to respond to that. No one needed to know about the bruises she kept hidden under the long sleeves of her dresses, nor did they need to know about the three small scars that lay just below her neckline. “I just don’t have family around these parts, not anymore. And no one in town speaks to me unless they’re looking to gain something. But you’re new, and you’ve helped me without asking anything in return.”

The woman’s chocolate brown eyes were soft as she took the last step toward Waverly, so close that the smaller woman had to tilt her head up to meet her gaze. “Well then, I suppose I could stay and help you clean up downstairs once you’re dressed.”

Waverly smiled in relief, unsure as to why she so badly wanted this woman to stay. Sure, she had meant everything she’d said a moment earlier, but she also had no way of knowing that the kindness the stranger had shown so far would continue, especially after she knew about who Waverly was. Regardless, she felt an immediate comfort around her, as well as a trust toward her that was absurd given how short a time they’d known each other. Why, she didn’t even know the stranger’s name.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Waverly ushered the taller woman into her room. “Well then, if you’re continuing to be so kind to me I could at least know the name of my savior.”

The woman laughed softly at that. “The name’s Nicole. Nicole Haught.”

Waverly gestured toward the small table and two chairs that sat in one corner of her room. “Please have a seat, miss Haught.”

Nicole nodded, striding over and sitting down before removing the dark stetson from her head and placing it on the table, revealing flame-red hair. “Please, just call me Nicole. And tell me, what name could possibly have the honor of belonging to such a lovely young lady.”

The smaller woman blushed at the redhead’s antics, grabbing fresh clothes from the dresser beside her bed, and making her way to the screen at the opposite corner of the room.

Waverly had already stepped behind the screen, causing her to miss the look of pure shock on Nicole’s face when she answered, “Waverly. Waverly Earp.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure where this is going to go, and I'm not even sure whether it's worth continuing. If people seem to like it, I'll probably continue. Anyway, thank you so very much for reading!


	2. Hurt & Hide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly opens up to Nicole, and they are interrupted in an upsetting way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Thank you so much to everyone who read/left kudos/commented on the first chapter! You all are the best.
> 
> Just a note that there is some abuse in this chapter which will make an appearance again later, so be warned.

Nicole had always been good at hiding her emotions, but sometimes it was simply impossible not to react. Finding out that the gorgeous woman who she’d only just met but was already enchanted by was the one she had been tasked to find was… well, if she didn’t know better, she’d be tempted to believe that it was fate. But Nicole Haught didn’t believe in that sort of silly nonsense. And if fate did exist, it really hadn’t been in her favor. So no, meeting Waverly like this was not fate, it was simply luck. And it was also a stroke of luck that Waverly hadn’t seen her reaction, it just wouldn’t do for her to find out yet.

“Nicole, could I ask you a question?” Waverly’s soft voice drew Nicole out of her thoughts, causing her to straighten up in her seat and meet the hazel eyes that stared back at her with a gentle sort of curiosity. Waverly was now dressed in a white blouse tucked into an earthen brown skirt, her hair freed to run loose down her back in smooth brown waves.

Nicole flashed her best dimpled smile at the other woman, who was looking back at her with her hands on her hips and her head tilted ever so slightly to the side. “Of course you can, darlin’.” She tossed out the term of endearment, allowing the slight drawl that she kept so carefully monitored to express itself more heavily and knowing exactly the reaction that the combination would elicit.

Sure enough, Waverly blushed and looked down for a moment, a stray lock of hair falling over her face. Nicole found herself itching to tuck it back behind the other girl’s ear.

“I really don’t mean to be impolite, but I was just wondering about why you’re dressed as a-” Waverly closed her mouth abruptly, cutting off the rest of her sentence. “Well, what I mean is-”

Nicole cut her off, knowing that Waverly was trying to word her question in the most polite way possible, worried that it would be seen as a rude sort of thing to ask. However it was entirely unnecessary as Nicole had already surmised that she would be asked a question of the sort and knew that it was a very logical question to have. “I take it that you’re asking me why I dress myself in a man’s clothing?”

Waverly only looked surprised for a moment, before the curiosity returned. “Yes, I suppose that is what I am trying to ask.”

“I take it that you don’t travel much, miss Waverly?” The brunette nodded shyly. “There are many places where my appearance is not out of the ordinary, and I have taken to dressing in whichever manner I please even when I find myself in a town where that is not the case.”

There was no response for a moment, and a jolt of trepidation ran through Nicole’s body. Perhaps Waverly did not approve of her manner of dress and had been expecting some other explanation, something that could better justify subverting deeply rooted societal principles. She began to panic. She was supposed to earn this woman’s trust, supposed to get close to her-

“Sorry, I was just thinking about my sister. She was never very intent on following rules, and she always wore boys’ clothes. I wonder if she still does…” Waverly trailed off, staring at nothing in particular, her eyes sad and wistful.

Nicole clenched her jaw to stop the words that threatened to tumble from her lips. She wanted to tell Waverly that her sister did still wear mens’ clothes, that she still hated rules and did however she pleased. But no, she couldn’t tell Waverly that, no matter how much she wanted to reassure the poor girl who appeared to be at the brink of tears.

“My apologies, I really didn’t mean to get so distracted-” Waverly’s voice was panicked, her eyes darting around the room to look in everywhere other than Nicole, who couldn’t understand for the life of her why the girl was so upset.

“Waverly.” Her voice was barely a whisper, her tone that of someone trying to calm a frightened animal. “Please do not apologize, it is clear that you miss her very much.”

Waverly relaxed noticeably, and when Nicole gestured for her to sit in the other chair, she didn’t hesitate.

“I do miss her, Nicole. I miss her more than I can tell.”

“Would you be alright with telling me what happened to her?” Of course, Nicole already knew what had happened to Wynonna Earp, but she was curious about what Waverly had to say, and it was clear that the girl could benefit from talking about it to someone.

“I’ve never talked about her before with anyone who wasn’t family or close to it, but I have a feeling that I can talk to you. Is that crazy?”

“You are not crazy at all, my dear.” Waverly looked at her strangely, as if she was trying to gauge whether Nicole’s words were the truth. Nicole held her gaze for a few long moments before the younger girl nodded.

“My father was killed when I was very young, and my sisters were both barely older than children. And my oldest sister, Willa, she… she’s gone.” Waverly’s voice went raw for a moment, and Nicole clasped her hands together in her lap to prevent herself from reaching out to comfort the woman sitting across from her. “My other sister, Wynonna, and I were sent here, with my aunt and uncle. And I wasn’t unhappy, even though I should have been. But Daddy was not a good father and Momma had already left us, so living with Aunt Gus and Uncle Curtis and Wynonna was really not so bad. But then Wynonna grew up and left us to track down the murderers, and I haven’t seen her since. It’s been nine years since she left, and she hasn’t visited at all. And- and then Uncle Curtis died and Shorty died and Aunt Gus disappeared, and now-”

Waverly’s words were cut off by the sobs that she had been fighting to contain, which had finally forced their way out and now had no interest in being contained again. Nicole gave in to her need to comfort the other girl, who was hunched over and crying into her hands, getting up and walking to Waverly’s side. The taller woman dropped to her knees, whispering soothingly and wrapping one arm loosely around Waverly, who responded by leaning against Nicole, pressing herself further into the warm, strong embrace.

They sat like that while the sun climbed up into the sky and the town awoke, until Waverly’s sobs had subsided and her breathing had calmed. Finally, Nicole pulled away, reaching up to gently grab Waverly’s wrists. The smaller girl winced in pain as her hands were drawn away from her face, and Nicole let go abruptly at the sound.

“Waverly, did I hurt you? Are you okay?”

“I- I’m fine, really-” Waverly tried to reassure her, but Nicole had already pushed back her sleeves, revealing bruised wrists. “Please don’t worry, those aren’t from you-”

“Waverly, who hurt you?” Nicole’s voice was harsh and intense with barely contained rage, so different from the softness of a few moments before that Waverly pulled away in fear. She tried to think of something, anything at all that could explain the deep, painful marks, but there was no easy answer.

And even if Waverly had found an answer, she still would not have had time to speak, as a moment later both women heard a shout from below them.

“What the hell happened here? Where’s that damn girl?” Nicole saw fear light up in Waverly’s eyes, intensifying at the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

“Nicole, please, I need you to hide _right now_ .” She stopped the protest before it escaped Nicole’s lips. “No, don’t argue with me, just _hide_.” The brunette, shaking with fear, gestured wildly at the screen.

Hearing and seeing the pure fear that Waverly was expressing gave Nicole the sense that this was not something she could save the younger girl from, at least for now. The best decision for now was to hide and avoid angering whoever it was that had made Waverly so fearful any more than they already were.

She ducked behind the screen just as the door to Waverly’s room slammed open, and Nicole could see a large, muscular man pace over to where Waverly was seated, curled up as small as possible, her eyes still red from crying.

“Stand up, girl.” He snarled out the words, his face contorting as he spoke.

Waverly stood, slowly, one hand braced on the table to keep her still shaking body stable.

“Do you want to tell me why you haven’t finished cleaning yet?”

“Sir, I- I just forgot, please-”

Waverly was cut off by a harsh backhanded slap to her face, the sound ringing out like a gunshot. Nicole covered her mouth with both hands to stop herself from shouting at the man or shoving over the screen and putting herself between him and Waverly. How _dare_ he hit a woman like that.

Waverly had one hand pressed to her face, and when she pulled it away Nicole saw blood coating her fingers from a gash on her left cheek. She bit down on the inside of her cheek until she tasted her own blood, which was boiling in her veins.

“The boss will not be pleased when I inform him of this.”

Nicole didn’t think it was possible to see Waverly more afraid than she had been throughout the whole interaction, but the whimper that escaped the smaller girl’s mouth at the word _boss_ said otherwise.

“No, please, it won’t happen again, I promise-”

Another slap cut off Waverly once again, and Nicole swore that she saw the brute _smiling_ as he left a gash in Waverly’s other cheek.

“You are right about that, it won’t happen again. Because if it does happen again, you won’t be given another chance to screw up.”

Waverly just stared at the ground, blood mixing with the tears streaming down her face as the man turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Waverly may have seemed a bit meek and defenseless in this chapter but I wanted to be more realistic about her situation and show that it's okay to not always be brave, and that she's focused on surviving right now. She's gone through a lot and she just needs some love, which I promise she will get in the future.
> 
> Once again I wanted to thank you so much for reading, and to remind you that any and all feedback is welcome!


	3. Five Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly doesn't accept Nicole's help, but Nicole comes to her rescue anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here's the next installment for you lovely people!
> 
> Also the writing style of this story keeps changing and I'm becoming increasingly confused as to where and when it is set but hopefully it's still cohesive and lives up to expectations.

Waverly’s legs held out just long enough for Nicole to run out from behind the screen, catching the brunette in a way that had become all too familiar as her knees buckled under her.

Nicole should have left, Waverly thought despondently. She should have run straight to the door, down the stairs, and out of the bar, and never spoken to Waverly ever again. That’s what anyone else would have done.

Yet here she was, her arms around Waverly, holding her up and holding together her broken pieces. Why couldn’t she just leave and let Waverly fall to the ground and shatter like one of the glass tumblers that sat behind the bar, overused and worthless. It would be better that way.

Because Waverly Earp knew that it would end that way, eventually, with her lying broken on the floor and Nicole running far, far away. It had to, and it would be so much better for the end to come now, when she was waiting for it. Expecting it. When she might be able to pick herself back up and put herself back together.

Because if Nicole Haught continued to treat Waverly the way she had thus far, the walls that she had built would come crumbling down around her. She would care for someone, and she would lose them. That’s how it always went.

“I can take you away.”

Five words. Five words whispered in her ear as Nicole held her, the older woman not seeming to care about the blood and tears from Waverly’s face that were staining her shirt.

Blood that had been drawn by John’s ring. None of them had ever left marks on her face before. She didn’t want to think about what that change could mean.

“What?” Waverly croaked out, not because she hadn’t heard Nicole but because she was sure she had imagined the words.

Five words, five chances, five marks.

“I can take you away.”

She had wanted to leave this place for so long, but she couldn’t leave. The note had said to wait. If she waited, she would be taken home, back to Wynonna and Gus. She just had to make sure that she stayed alive.

“I-I can’t leave.”

Only three marks counted, the scars on her chest, left by the boss. Which could soon be joined by a fourth.

Nicole pulled back just enough that she could see the younger woman's face, concern evident in her brown eyes. “Waverly, are you alright?”

Waverly was most definitely not alright, but she needed to wait. Just a little longer.

“I’m not ready to leave, Nicole. I’m sorry.”

“What?”

Waverly pulled away and walked over to her bed, searching beside it for her single mirror shard.

“Nicole. I’m not leaving.” She turned back toward the taller woman, staring at Nicole’s feet. “And it is time for you to take your leave.”

Nicole sighed heavily. “Okay. I’ll go, if that’s what you wish.” Waverly nodded, and Nicole continued, “Waverly, if you decide to take up my offer, or just find yourself in need of a friend, I’ll be there. You can find me in room seven at the inn.”

Waverly said nothing, just continued to stare at the exact spot on the floor where Nicole’s feet were, as the redhead picked up her stetson, carefully positioning it on her head to hide most of her hair, and slipped out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

And then Waverly went about cleaning up her face just enough that she could explain away the marks. Not that anyone would be bothered by the truth, the people of this town didn’t care for Waverly Earp, and they weren’t about to change now.

\---

The day was a blur, rushing downstairs to clean up the mess by the window in the few minutes she had left before the bar was set to open, serving patrons for hours on end, watching as the sun climbed up the sky and then began to fall.

She normally looked forward to the end of her day, to finally eating whatever scraps of food the kitchen had left for her before collapsing onto her bed and passing out from exhaustion. At least in sleep she had the chance of a good dream.

But today was different. Today was a thing to be held onto, even as it was torn from her grasp. Today held the memory of Nicole holding her, the feeling of her soft touches still lingering on Waverly’s skin.

And tonight held another visit with the boss. Tonight was probably the last time she would be sent to him with the hope of returning relatively unscathed to her room. If there was a next time… well, she would be gone by then, surely, but if she wasn’t gone by then, she was never going home.

\---

It was an hour before closing when Champ Hardy staggered over to Waverly to order his sixth drink of the night.

“More of the good stuff, sweetheart.” He leered down at her, eyes cloudy from too much drink.

Waverly pasted on a tight lipped smile, even as she bristled slightly at that word. It sounded so lovely on Nicole’s lips, making her feel dizzy from an emotion she didn’t quite understand.

But coming from Champ’s mouth it felt debasing, especially when he looked at her as if he could see through the fabric of her clothing. He said he wanted to marry her, and most of the time she believed it, but it was times like this one when she wondered what he really wanted from her.

He was so very different from Nicole, who had only glanced over her before pulling her gaze up to Waverly’s face. But even in such a brief look, Waverly could feel the reverence with which the other woman regarded her. And she could feel it in the way Nicole had held her, comforting and soft and so _gentle_ , in a way that she knew Champ would never be.

Nicole was all of the things Champ was not, even down to his drinking habits, or so it seemed. Waverly had hoped to catch a glimpse of her at some point, but she hadn’t come back to the bar since when Waverly had sent her away that morning.

She placed the tumbler in front of Champ and turned away to serve another patron, but he grabbed her wrist, not hard enough to bruise, but plenty hard enough to put a painful pressure against the bruise that was already there. Waverly turned to face him, trying not to flinch at the pain.

“Have you thought about my offer again, Waverly?” His words were slurred, and he didn’t let go of her wrist.

“Champ, the answer is still no.” In truth, she had thought about his offer again. She knew that she had to wait for Wynonna to save her, but if she was in more immediate danger then it might be a good idea to have a strong man protecting her, taking her away from this dreadful place.

But now she had Nicole, who was soft and kind and gentle, but was also clearly quite strong, and was also offering to take her away. And while she knew Champ well enough to be sure that he would treat her far better than she would currently be treated, Nicole had already proven herself to be _so_ much better than him.

It was an easy choice.

“But sweetheart, you need me. I know you aren’t happy, I can give you what you need.” He tugged at her wrist, pulling her closer to him.

“Champ, I don’t need you. Now please let go of me.” She had to fight to keep the mixture of anger, disgust, and fear out of her voice.

“I’ll let go of you when you say yes.” His grip tightened, and her wrist _hurt_.

“The lady told you to let go of her.” A tall, lean figure appeared beside Champ. His voice was cold and commanding, but there was something familiar about it.

“This doesn’t concern you. This is between my woman and me.” Champ spat back, but he let go of Waverly’s wrist.

“Champ, I’m not your woman.” Waverly pulled her hand back, cradling it against her.

“You heard her, now leave her alone before I lose my temper.” Her rescuer moved closer, positioning himself between Champ and Waverly.

Champ stepped back, his eyes boring into the other man. “I’ll talk with you again later, Waverly.” He glanced back at her, the predatory gleam in his eyes returning. Then he turned and walked away.

“Are you alright?” The man turned to Waverly, and she saw that the top half of his face was shadowed by his hat.

“Yes, thank you. I don’t know if he would have left if you weren’t there.”

The man nodded, turning away. “I’ll be around here for the next few days, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t trouble you.”

“Wait!” The man turned back toward her. “That’s awfully kind of you, but this isn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence. You must be new around here.” A slight nod. “Could I ask who you are?”

His lips curled into a small smile. “You already know me, Waverly.”

She watched, dumbfounded, as he walked away.

It was only an hour later as she was closing up the bar, that she realized who he, no _she_ , was. Her voice had been pitched lower, and her face had been shadowed, but it was unmistakably her.

Nicole Haught.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying my best to keep similar dynamics between the groups of revenants but it's not going to be all that similar to canon.
> 
> Also- I want to make it clear that John is not Doc.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. One Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly meets the boss, and accepts an offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Malcolm Ramaker makes an appearance, apparently. Remember him?

The old farmhouse at the edge of town was definitely not being put to its originally intended use.

The paint was peeling and the roof was missing half of its tiles, but the poor maintenance was nothing compared to the swarm of men in and around it, all of them armed to the teeth. All of the men were centered around one man, who sat in a chair next to a stack of crates, watching the others and slowly sipping a tankard of ale.

His wavy brown hair was pulled back and his beard was scraggly. A worn black leather patch covered his left eye.

Malcolm turned and beckoned lazily to one of his men.

“I take it that Waverly is on her way here?” Malcolm’s voice was calm and he smiled slightly, but there was a dangerous glint in his eye.

“The Earp girl will be here in the next few minutes, sir.”

“Good.” He motioned for the other man to leave, before sitting back once again.

He didn’t have to wait much longer before there was a call from one of the sentries stationed outside, and the crowd around him parted to reveal a young woman, who was unceremoniously shoved to the ground near Malcolm’s feet by a burly looking man.

Malcolm stood, slowly, and walked over to the girl, who was staring intensely at the ground in front of her.

“Stand.”

The girl stood just as slowly as Malcolm had, her eyes still glued to the ground.

Malcolm took another step forward so that the girl could feel his breath against the top of her head. But Waverly stood her ground, not stepping back, not raising her head.

Malcolm chuckled, and then tipped the girl’s head up with his index finger, forcing her to look him in the eye.

Waverly’s eyes burned with hatred and anger, and Malcolm smiled.

The girl was feisty, he had to give her that. And oh, she was so fun to intimidate. Putting fear into those beautiful hazel eyes was something Malcolm positively relished.

“Silly girl. I heard that you left the bar in a mess.”

She scowled back up at him, and he understood exactly why she was so upset. He understood that punishing her for such a small mistake was ridiculous, that it shouldn’t be considered a use of one of her “chances”, but Malcolm wasn’t in the business of being fair.

He was keeping Waverly Earp alive and under his control for a reason, but she didn’t need to know that. She didn’t need to know that Malcolm couldn’t kill her just yet, as she needed to be alive for his plan to succeed.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a bit of fun.

“What do you have to say about that?”

“Screw you.” The impudent girl turned her head down to spit at Malcolm’s feet, and when she looked back up she felt cold metal against the front of her neck.

Malcolm watched the breath catch in Waverly’s throat, her defiance replaced by the fear and panic that he had begun to see more often. It seemed that she was learning, maybe soon he wouldn’t have to worry about actively threatening her, he could sense that she was _so_ close to having her spirit well and truly broken.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that. Could you say it again?” He pressed the knife harder into the girl’s throat, but not quite hard enough to break the skin.

“It won’t happen again, sir.” She was no longer looking him in the eyes, her gaze downcast and her hands clenched in front of her.

“That’s good, I wouldn’t want to have to slice open your pretty little neck.” The girl shivered. “But I can’t just let you go, now, can I?”

“How about I have you work up here every night for a few weeks? My men miss having a woman around to provide from them.” He grinned at the sickened look on her face. He was well aware of the lewd stares his men directed at the pretty brunette, as well as the way some of them tended to get _handsy_ with her when they had too much to drink.

“No, I don’t think that would be enough. Not only did you fail in your duties, you were insolent, and insolence will not be tolerated.”

He moved the knife from Waverly’s neck, but he didn’t put it away. Instead, he traced the tip of the blade up to her temple, running it across her face, following the two fresh scabs just below her cheekbones. He then moved to her other temple and slid down again, stopping for a moment to rest at the soft flesh under the side of her jaw where he could feel her pulse racing.

The girl jumped slightly when he pressed the tip of the knife harder into her flesh, before quickly freezing in place.

Malcolm traced along her collarbone to the center of her chest, stopping for a moment to swiftly cut a straight line down a few inches from the neckline of the girl’s blouse, watching the fabric fall open to reveal the three neat lines in her skin. He moved the blade to just beside the third mark, before finally pressing hard enough to draw blood, creating a mark identical to the others.

Four scars. She only had one left. And while Malcolm couldn’t kill her yet, he was sure he could figure out something far worse than death for the girl if she gave him a reason to add a fifth scar.

\---

It was an absurd hour of morning when Nicole heard someone knock on her door. The sound was so quick and quiet that Nicole probably would have missed it if she hadn’t already been awake, laying in bed and wondering, worrying about Waverly. She slid out of bed and padded lightly over to the door, grabbing her pistol on the way. Just in case.

She eased the door open just a sliver, then pulled it fully open when she saw the woman who had been on her mind all night, standing outside of her door, shivering, her clothes dirtied and tattered. There was a small bloodstain near her collarbone. Nicole silently beckoned the smaller woman into her room, noting the same fear from earlier in her eyes, her arms wrapped around herself for warmth, an illusion of safety, or both.

Nicole turned away from Waverly for a few moments to shut and bolt the door and to tuck her pistol back into her suitcase before turning back to the small brunette, who looked even smaller in her current state.

“Waverly, what happened?” The girl just shook her head, shivering harder. “Waves, please let me help you.”

Waverly visibly calmed at the nickname, her breathing evening out just a little and an infinitesimal amount of stress dropped from her shoulders.

“N-Nicole, I-” Her teeth started chattering, cutting off whatever she had planned to say. Nicole stepped closer to the younger woman, placing her hands on Waverly’s shoulders in an attempt to calm her.

To Nicole’s surprise, the brunette took a step forward to meet her, pressing her shaking body against Nicole’s lean form. The redhead slowly, carefully lowered her hands so that her arms were wrapped around the smaller girl, pulling her close. Waverly pressed her face into Nicole’s neck, and the older woman rested her chin on the top of the other’s head.

They stood like that for what could have been seconds or hours, Nicole rubbing soothing circles into Waverly’s back, Waverly pressing herself impossibly closer to Nicole, desperate for the safety of those strong, kind arms, and not wanting them to let go of her, ever.

Once Waverly’s shaking had subsided, Nicole extricated herself from the younger girl’s embrace, moving her hands back up to Waverly’s shoulders.

“Waves, what’s wrong? How can I help?” She looked pleadingly into teary hazel eyes.

There was a long pause before Waverly spoke, her voice raw. “I’m scared.”

“Would you like me to walk you back to the bar? Make sure you get there safely?”

“No! I mean, if it’s alright, I would prefer to stay here for the night. Please?” Waverly looked surprised at her own request, but she didn’t take back her words.

Nicole registered an equal amount of shock, but only for a moment. “I’ll set something up for myself on the floor, and you can take the cot.” She raised a hand to silence Waverly’s objection. “Waves, you’re not sleeping on the floor. I have an extra nightdress for you, if you want to wear something else to sleep.”

“Thank you, Nic.” A blush spread over Nicole’s face, and she wasn’t quite sure whether it was at the earnest note in Waverly’s voice as she thanked her, or whether it was a response to the nickname.

Nicole searched through her suitcase for the nightdress that she had, for some reason, kept even after she switched to wearing her less feminine cotton shirt and pants. She turned away to give the other girl privacy as she undressed, busying herself with laying out a pillow and blanket on the wooden floor, a few feet away from the bed.

Waverly finished dressing and walked back over to Nicole, stepping past her to lay down on the cot, facing the other girl. Nicole felt the other girl’s eyes on her as she too lay down, stretching out under her blanket.

“Goodnight, Nic.”

“Goodnight, Waves.”

Even with the cold, hard floor under her, Nicole felt a pleasant warmth spread through her. She knew it was unrealistic, but she could really get used to falling asleep a few feet from Waverly every night.

She would be the luckiest woman in the world.

\---

Waverly woke to Nicole shaking her lightly, her voice soft but urgent. “Waves, it's just a nightmare. You’re dreaming, and you need to wake up.”

She sat up abruptly and turned her head to the side, watching the worry drain from the older woman’s face.

“I’m sorry Nic, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s nothing, are you okay?” There was genuine concern in Nicole’s voice, even as Waverly could hear the exhaustion threatening to overwhelm the the other woman. She obviously hadn’t slept all that well, which was no surprise given their sleeping arrangements.

“I’m alright, but, could you sleep with me?” She blushed, realizing how her words had sounded. “I mean, could you sleep up here? I’d feel better if you were nearer to me, and you’d be more comfortable on the bed anyway.”

Nicole tipped her head to the side in thought for a moment, before nodding slowly. Waverly shifted over to one side of the cot, and Nicole slipped under the sheets. The two faced each other, and even in the dark Waverly was aware of Nicole’s thoughtful expression.

Waverly moved closer to the other girl, pressing her body into Nicole’s as the redhead wrapped her arms around the small brunette.

“Waves, could I ask you a question?” Nicole’s breath ghosted along Waverly’s neck as she spoke.

“Mhm.”

“Have you thought at all about what I said earlier? My offer?”

“I have thought about it, a bit.”

“Well, the offer still stands.” It was a statement, but there was a question buried under it.

_Can I take you away?_

Five words.

Four scars.

One chance.

“Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I don't know why I keep hurting Waverly. Thankfully, Nicole is there for her.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	5. Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole takes Waverly away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wasn't the horse girl growing up (you know who I'm talking about, every kid knows a horse girl in school), which means that this required a bit of research. I also ended up researching some other stuff for this chapter, so prepare to cringe a little bit less at the lack of historical (and general) accuracy.
> 
> Although I will admit that there are still some problems due to the fact that I don't know where or when this is set and that I _suck_ at accents, but y'know...

Waverly woke before dawn, as she always did, but this time was different. This time, not only was she in bed with someone, but she was lying with her back against a long, lithe body, an arm wrapped loosely around her waist. She felt peaceful, calm, and happier than she had been in months, maybe even years.

Then the memories of the previous night flashed through her head, and she shivered, pressing herself closer to the person behind her - Nicole, she remembers - trying to drown herself in the warmth and safety of the older woman.

Nicole’s arm wrapped tighter around her, as if even in sleep she could sense Waverly’s fear, and did her best to make the younger girl feel safer.

And it worked, somewhat.

Waverly’s thoughts were torn between allowing herself to get a few more hours of precious sleep and waking Nicole to plan their escape. The former was quite tempting indeed, as the sleep she had gotten since Nicole had joined her in bed the previous night was the best she’d had in god only knows how long. But she didn’t know how Nicole planned to get them out, or even if she had a plan at all, and it wouldn’t be long before someone realized that a certain brunette hadn’t gone home the previous night.

Waverly turned in Nicole’s arms until she was facing the redhead. She couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful the woman looked, her long hair was out of the braid it had been in earlier, when it was tucked under her hat, and was mussed from sleep. Her expression was soft, the slightest smile playing across her face. Of course, Nicole had looked absolutely striking in her day clothes, but this was something far more personal, intimate even. It was a sight that far fewer people had the chance to see.

Waverly didn’t want to disrupt Nicole from her peaceful slumber, but it had to be done. They needed to get out of this godforsaken town as soon as possible.

“Nicole?” Waverly kept her voice low, wanting to wake the woman without startling her, and lightly placed her hands on Nicole’s shoulders.

Despite her efforts, Nicole woke with a shock, immediately sitting up and turning to grab her gun. She paused mid-reach, and Waverly saw the relief flow over her face.

Nicole turned back toward her, sliding down so that she was laying under the covers once again. Her dimpled smile was every bit as charming as it had been the day before, but with the other woman’s face mere inches from her own, the two of them in their own world as the rest of the town slept, Waverly felt almost overwhelmed by it.

“You sleep alright?” Nicole’s drawl was heavy in her words, likely intensified by her recently-awoken state.

“I did, thank you.” Waverly smiled, small but warm.

“My pleasure, darlin’.” Nicole smirked as Waverly ducked her head. “Now, was there a reason you were wantin’ me to wake up?”

Waverly could have sworn that Nicole was changing her accent on purpose, dropping her normal one (which sounded a bit more educated, but Waverly couldn’t quite pinpoint where it was from) for one that she knew made Waverly blush.

“I was just wondering if you had a plan for how we’re getting out of here, and where we’re going?” Waverly asked, trying to conceal the worry and uncertainty in her voice. She really didn’t know if she could handle another day of misery, never mind longer.

“Of course I do, Waves. I have our route set up. Don’t worry about it.” It was clear that Waverly had failed at hiding her feelings, as Nicole’s cocky smirk and sexy accent dropped immediately and she reached forward to take one of Waverly’s hands, holding it between both of her own. Her smile was soft and comforting, and Waverly couldn’t help but feel a bit more reassured than she should have been.

“Could you tell me where we’re going? And what’s going to happen once we get there?” Waverly’s curiosity got the better of her, and she was so comfortable with Nicole that she only worried a little bit about what her new life might have in store for her.

“I can’t tell you at this moment, but I promise that I’ll take care of you, okay? I promise that I’ll do my best to make sure that you’re happy and safe.” Nicole’s voice was earnest and kind, but there was a slight hesitation in her words that told Waverly there was more to it than Nicole was letting on.

“Oh-okay.” Waverly looked deep into Nicole’s eyes, finding comfort and safety and something else that scared her as much as it excited her. She broke away sharply, looking at nothing in particular as she asked the question that had been weighing on her mind since the night before. “When do we leave?”

“Whenever you wish. Although it would be best if we left within the week.” Nicole answered, her voice measured and her expression shifted to a more neutral one as she spoke.

“Oh. Well I- could we leave today?” Waverly tried not to sound too hopeful, but she needn’t have worried because Nicole’s face lit up, her expression softening.

“Of course, Waves. If you want, it’s early enough that we could probably leave town now without anyone noticing.”

Waverly just nodded, speechless in wonderment. It seemed that her fortune was shifting.

Nicole jumped out of bed without another word, and Waverly turned her head away as she heard the other woman donning her day clothes, trying not to think too hard about how Nicole’s body had felt against her, strong and soft all at once, with curves that weren’t visible when she was clothed but were quite noticeable to the touch.

“I’ll just go and tell the innkeeper that we’ll be departing shortly. You can get dressed and we’ll pick up your belongings on the way out of town.” Waverly turned to find Nicole tucking her braided hair carefully into her hat.

By the time Waverly had opened her mouth to respond, Nicole was already out of the room.

\---

Nicole returned shortly after, finding Waverly dressed, but wearing a look of consternation as well as she tried to adjust the collar of her blouse. The moment she was aware of Nicole’s presence, she scrambled to press one palm over her heart. The girl was hiding something, without a doubt.

The redhead decided that it was something she should address later, as they were incredibly short on time. The sky outside was still dark, but there was enough light now to make out the vague shapes of stores and other buildings nearby.

She turned wordlessly to grab a light woolen coat from a hook by the door, handing it to Waverly. The younger girl looked at her curiously, distractly dropping her hand from her chest to take the coat and slip it on.

Nicole caught a glimpse of what Waverly had been trying to hide, and her hands curled into fists by her side. There was blood - Waverly’s blood most likely - staining the white fabric, and she had to clench her teeth to stop herself from asking the question that was clawing at her throat.

Both of their secrets could wait until they were gone. And then she could ask Waverly what the hell happened to her, and she would probably have to answer some questions in return. She had no doubt that Waverly would be wondering why Nicole inexplicably kept nightclothes and a coat that fit Waverly, not perfectly, but well enough, and were far too small and feminine for Nicole herself. That was bound to be an _interesting_ conversation.

Waverly pulled the coat quickly onto her small frame, clutching the fabric tightly against her body, before glancing up at Nicole with a small nod to indicate that she was ready to leave.

\---

Nicole opened the door and stepped back slightly to allow Waverly to enter before her. It was amusing to her that the most chivalrous person she had met to date was a woman, but she wasn’t about to complain.

“Go up and grab your things, I’ll wait down here to give you some privacy.” _And to stand guard._ The words, although they were unspoken, hung heavy in the air between them.

Waverly turned and hurried up the stairs, hiking up her skirt to avoid tripping on it. Her heart beat fast and loud in her chest, but she wasn’t afraid. This was her chance.

She paused at the doorway to the room she had lived in for so many years, taking it in for the last time. There wasn’t very much there that she wanted to bring with her, because for Waverly home wasn’t this place. It wasn’t any place at all. Home was Gus and Wynonna, wherever they were.

If they even still _were._

Waverly walked over to her dresser, reaching in and pulling out her few belongings: two chemises, her faded blue dress, another dress of a similar style that was green in color, a linen pocket containing her meager savings, which only amounted to a few coins, as well as a turquoise necklace in the shape of a sparrow which had once belonged to her older sister and a small, folded piece of paper.

Waverly picked up the note with shaking hands. This was it, she wasn’t going to wait anymore. The note had promised she would be saved, but she had found her own savior. She may never see Wynonna or Gus ever again, but if she wanted any sort of chance she had to leave now. Maybe she could track them down, once Nicole brought her… well, wherever they were going.

Waverly pulled herself out of her thoughts, hurriedly redressing herself in a fresh chemise and her blue dress, carefully tying her pocket onto her waist. The coins clinked, and when she reached into it she could feel the paper against her skin. She packed away her remaining chemise and dress into a haversack, leaving behind her soiled and bloody clothing. She should probably travel light anyway, and hopefully once they reached their destination Waverly could find work to help her purchase new clothing.

She took a deep breath before leaving the room, not looking back as she made her way to the staircase.

Nicole was waiting near the door, her hand at her hip, ready to draw her gun at a moment’s notice. She turned when she heard Waverly, her face softening from the intense expression of a moment earlier into a warm smile.

She reached out to take the bag from Waverly, before putting her arm out, her eyes questioning. Waverly didn’t have to think for even a moment before placing her hand in the crook of Nicole's arm, allowing the redhead to lead her out.

They made their way down to the stables, and Waverly could see the worry in Nicole’s face as her eyes darted around them, looking for any signs of movement in the light of the fast approaching dawn.

Waverly watched as Nicole pressed some coin into the stable boy's hand, whispering something that caused him to nod vigorously, and then motioned to Waverly that she should wait.

She stood anxiously near the entrance, uncomfortable with Nicole’s absence. The stable boy was looking at her with a curiosity that frightened her. Malcolm had eyes and ears everywhere, and she had no way of knowing that the young boy in front of her wouldn’t inform the boss of their flight as soon as they had left.

After a few minutes of Waverly and the stable boy each watching each other, and Waverly suppressing the urge to turn and bolt out of the stable, Nicole returned from the line of stalls, leading an elegant chestnut mare behind her.

Nicole beckoned her over, taking her hand and bringing it forward for the horse to sniff. The mare nickered and ducked her head slightly. Waverly took that as a sign to pat the horse on her head, earning another low whinny.

“It seems that she likes you.” Nicole was beaming at her as she spoke. “Her name is Jane.”

“Jane. She’s very pretty. A bit similar to her owner, actually.” Waverly hadn’t meant to say that Nicole was pretty or looked like a horse, she simply meant that Nicole’s hair was a similar color to Jane’s coat. Although Nicole was gorgeous, pretty didn’t quite suit her, and even if it did, Waverly certainly wasn’t planning on telling her that.

Luckily, the taller woman didn’t seem to notice Waverly’s verbal misstep, whispering to the mare, “You are, aren’t you, girl.” Jane nuzzled her head into Nicole in response.

“Alright then, we should be on our way.” Nicole led the mare out of the stable, adjusting her saddlebags to make sure that both womens’ belongings were properly secured. “You know how to ride a horse?”

Waverly blushed and looked down at her feet, feeling more than a bit embarrassed. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and then Nicole’s voice, soft and reassuring. “Hey, it’s alright, we’ll be together, and I can show you.”

Waverly looked up to see Nicole’s face, wearing that warm, earnest expression that made Waverly feel _safe._

“Okay,” She replied simply, her voice even softer than Nicole’s had been. “Show me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering, no, I'm definitely _not_ trying to explain away my inability to write accents properly by making Nicole's accent weird. Yup. That was _completely_ intentional.
> 
> Or at least I hope it comes across as vaguely intentional.


	6. Please (Don't) Leave Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey begins, and Waverly finds herself torn between trust and fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Katherine Barrell is the most amazing human and I love her so much. That's not really relevant I just absolutely adore her.

Leaving town had been so much easier than Waverly could have hoped. Sure, they had only been riding for a few hours, which meant they were not _nearly_ out of danger, but they hadn’t been captured yet. Evidently the stable boy had kept his mouth shut.

It had been a quiet ride so far, once Nicole had gotten Waverly set up on Jane and led out another horse, a bay stallion named Atlas. Waverly had protested that they should switch places, given that Jane was Nicole’s horse, but the redhead had simply laughed and said that Jane would take good care of her.

And she had been right, of course. Jane was perfectly sweet, and Waverly’s fears were soon assuaged. She really didn’t have to do very much work, simply allowing Jane to take her cues from Nicole and Atlas.

Atlas was obviously also somewhat acquainted with Nicole, although not nearly as well as Jane. Which, of course, gave rise to the question of whose horse Atlas was, and how he ended up in a town that was neither close to nor far from the frontier and filled with people who almost never left and absolutely never came back. Waverly knew that there was something more to the gorgeous redhead than what she first appeared to be, but she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to know, and this was just another question that she feared the answer to.

But just then it didn’t matter because they were riding off with the sun at their backs, Waverly occasionally allowing herself a glance toward Nicole to admire the older woman, tall and slender and powerful, who seemed to be herself lost in thought.

And surely wondering could do no harm, even if she never asked the questions buzzing through her mind.

She wondered where Nicole was from, what her family had been like, and who she was now. She remembered the look on the stable boy’s face when Nicole had spoken to him, the commanding coldness of Nicole’s voice when she had threatened Champ, the warmth and kindness that had been directed toward her the entire time she had known the redhead.

She wondered how Nicole had ended up here, only to leave a mere day later, following a route she seemed to know by heart. Had she planned on bringing someone back with her? Was Waverly a means to an end? And what end was that? She shivered at the thought, the fear that the kindness Nicole had shown her was an act, that once they reached their destination Nicole would drop the facade and…

And what would happen of her? Would she stay with Nicole for a while, or would she be deposited in an unfamiliar place and left to fend for herself?

And which did she _want?_ Did she want comfort and safety tinged with fear and that feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever Nicole touched her, or did she want to have a fresh start? It wasn’t as if it really mattered, though, because it was unlikely that she would be allowed to choose. Nicole had a plan in mind already, and no one had ever really asked for Waverly’s input on her own life.

Except that Nicole _had._ She hadn’t tried to force Waverly to leave with her, or to make her decision immediately. She had been willing to give Waverly time, and that was something that the younger woman couldn’t remember ever experiencing.

But then again, Nicole seemed to be in the habit of giving Waverly unexpected new experiences.

\---

She was still lost in thoughts about Nicole (although at this point the thoughts were of a decidedly more salacious nature) when she felt a hand on her knee, and heard a soft voice.

“Waves? Are you okay? We’re stopping here for the night.” Nicole said, her tone calm but her eyes and words worried.

“Yeah, I’m alright.” Waverly tried and failed not to blush, directing her words just above Nicole’s face. Nicole’s touch on her leg felt… well, after the daydream she’d been having, any look, touch, or words from Nicole made her shiver in a way that was not altogether unpleasant.

The feeling was only intensified as Nicole helped her down off of Jane’s back, and it didn’t go unnoticed.

“You don’t look alright.” Nicole murmured, her arm wrapped tight around Waverly’s smaller frame. And she wasn’t wrong, Waverly suddenly felt weak and exhausted, and allowed herself to fall into Nicole’s embrace.

She stayed there for what must have been a few minutes, watching the two horses being led away around the back of a rickety looking two story building. Once she was able to stand on her own feet again, although still leaning on her taller companion, Nicole escorted her into the building, which turned out to be an inn.

Nicole dropped some money in front of the innkeeper, before pulling something out of her coat pocket and showing it to the woman, who immediately sat up straighter. Waverly squinted to try to distinguish what it was, but her vision was too blurry and as soon as she was able to focus her eyes Nicole had already slipped it back into her pocket.

They walked up a narrow flight of stairs, although Nicole was supporting so much of her weight that she was more being carried than walking. She stumbled through the doorway to their room, the world spinning around her, and felt Nicole lift her up and gently place her onto the edge of the bed.

She blinked and saw the redhead kneeling in front of her, holding each of Waverly’s hands in one of her own.

“Waves?” Nicole’s voice was tentative, as if she wasn’t sure whether she was going to get a response.

Waverly managed to force out a, “yes”, although she didn’t know whether it was a question or an answer.

“It’s probably best if you sleep now, and then we can both eat in the morning, alright? You’re going to be fine, it’s likely that today is just catching up to you. I’m sure you’ll be okay tomorrow, you just need to get some rest.” Waverly could tell that Nicole was trying to be reassuring, but she wondered distantly which of them the older woman was trying to comfort. She just nodded, immediately regretting it as the room started spinning again.

“Waverly, do you think you can change into your nightclothes or will you just sleep in your dress?” She tried to focus on Nicole’s face, but the image kept splitting in twain, leaving her confused as to which concerned Nicole to look at.

“Could you help me?” She asked, her voice not filled with the embarrassment or nervousness she would normally have felt.

“I- you sure?” Nicole sounded hesitant.

“Yes.” Her mind was foggy, and she didn’t understand why Nicole thought it was a big deal.

“Oh-okay then.”

Nicole’s hands went to the front of her dress, pausing, as if she expected Waverly to push her away. She undid the buttons one by one, and even in her daze Waverly could feel the redhead’s hands shaking.

Nicole helped her to her feet, allowing Waverly to clutch onto both of her forearms. She was barely standing when she felt Nicole’s fingertips on her shoulders, running down her arms to push off her sleeves, leaving the fabric of Waverly’s dress to pool on the floor at her feet.

Waverly felt rather than saw Nicole freeze in place, her hands still hovering near Waverly’s wrists, and she was sure that the older woman was looking at her bruises again.

“It’s- it’s nothing.”

Nicole’s laugh was almost pained. “You aren’t wrong.”

She realized then that Nicole wasn’t looking at her wrists, she was looking over her scantily clad body.

“We need to get you some new undergarments.”

 _Oh._ Even in her current state, Waverly had the decency to blush and look down. Did Nicole know that wasn’t wearing any other clothes, not by choice, but rather because she had no way to purchase them? Or did she think that Waverly was…

And then Nicole suddenly stepped away, her arms dropping. Waverly felt fear building inside her, clawing at her throat and lungs. Nicole had read into this as something else, and now she wanted nothing more to do with Waverly. Would she just leave, right now, abandoning Waverly with no sense of where she was or where she should go? The hazy depths of her mind, unleashed to wreak havoc, conjured the worst circumstances they could muster.

She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to calm her frantic, racing heart. Her breathing was erratic, and she was suddenly struggling to stay upright again. But then Nicole was back, a flash across her vision, placing something behind Waverly on the bed before her hands went to Waverly’s waist, steadying her, calming her. She felt the tiniest bit of weight lift off of her as Nicole untied the pocket from around her waist.

Waverly heard the older woman take a long, deep breath. There was a brush of nimble fingers against her thighs, grabbing onto the hem of her chemise and pulling it swiftly over her head, sweeping lightly over her hips and waist.

The air was cool against her now bare skin, and then Nicole was nudging her arms up above her head again, and sliding her nightdress on. She heard Nicole sigh in relief as the fabric settled over Waverly’s skin.

Nicole lifted her gingerly, before tucking her under the bedsheets.

“Please don’t leave me.” The words escaped Waverly's lips unbidden, but the sentiment was not untrue.

The older woman paused for a long moment before replying, “I won’t.”

A light kiss was placed on Waverly's forehead before she fell into a troubled sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the chapter!


	7. Premonitions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bad dream, or something far more sinister?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit late, but I will try to post again this weekend.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me.

The floor jostled under her, her body thrown up into the air as if she was nothing more than a child’s rag doll, before crashing back down. She tried to move her arms, but found that they were bound together behind her back by a coarse rope that chafed at her wrists. She shifted to test the boundaries of her restraints, only to have her head slammed into the wall when the floor pitched upward again.

She had no inkling as to whether it was night or day, as the darkness that surrounded her was not that of the night. She surmised that she was in some sort of carriage, but could not remember what events had led to her peculiar circumstance. 

She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice came out in a low whimper, drowned out by the noise of the carriage. Her second attempted was more successful, yielding a quiet but audible, “Hello?”.

There was a chuckle nearby and slightly above her, a sound that froze the blood in her veins. It was familiar, in the sort of way a terrible recurring nightmare is, striking the kind of fear that causes your lungs and heart to pause in their function for so long that you wonder if you’ve died.

It was silent for a few minutes, in which she forced herself to breathe and willed her heart to beat. She tried to speak again, not sure as to what she meant to say, but it seemed that her subconscious had already figured that out for her. “Nicole?” Her voice came out louder than earlier, but the extra volume only served to amplify the terror in her voice.

“Better luck next time.” She tried to remember where she had heard that voice, but her memory was jumbled. For that matter, she couldn’t quite recall who Nicole was, just that she was someone important. “Although in some ways my company is probably preferable.”

“Where am I?” This was wrong, it was all wrong. She just knew that she needed to find Nicole, and that this whole situation was  _ wrong. _

“Are you really bothering yourself with the details? You wanted to escape, did you not?”

She ignored his answer, not wanting to deal with his taunting and riddles. “Who are you? Where is Nicole?”

“You really don’t get it yet, do you? Do I need to spell it out for you?” She was about to respond to him, with a question or a witty retort or  _ something _ to help her quell her growing panic. But then she heard a voice, quiet below the noises of her surroundings, but insistent.

“Waves!” It wasn’t the cold, cruel voice that had spoken to her a moment before; it was softer, kinder, warmer. Waverly could hear worry and fear and desperation, and she could feel deep in her heart that whoever the voice belonged to mattered to her. But she couldn’t think properly and her body and mind were nearly paralysed by fear, and it would be so easy to just sink into the despair, to curl up into a ball and cry and try to hold off the world. A soft sob escaped her lips. It was over. She was alone and afraid and there was nothing and  _ no one  _ there for her. Something terrible was going to happen to her, and she was powerless to stop it.

But then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and another gently cradling her head. “Waverly, please. Please wake up. You’re safe, I promise that you are safe.” She felt a brush of linen against her skin, fabric weighing down against her side. She could feel warmth emanating from nearby her, and tried to move toward it, only to collide with cold, musty wood. 

She was going insane. That was the only explanation. Something here wasn’t real, but she didn’t know what. The wood against the side of her face felt real, but the hand cupping her cheek was becoming increasingly more so, until every feeling was a dual sensation of two worlds. She still wasn’t sure which was real, but she was sure as hell which one she hoped was real.

The other world was so  _ close, _ close enough to hear worried whispers and smell faint perfume. So instead of giving in to the darkness, she tried to give in to the caress of a soft voice, repeating over and over again that it was going to be okay.

But then the hands that had held her were gone, and that world fell away, leaving her to fall deeper, to drown in the  _ nothing. _

And then something cold against her collarbone, and a slight weight around her neck, and the carriage and the cruel voices and the nothing slid off of her like water, leaving her to gasp in needy breaths.

“N-” She tried, but she cut herself off by drawing in another lungful of air.

“It’s alright, don’t worry now. Just breathe.” The voice was calmer now. She tried to move toward it again, and this time she collided with a familiar-feeling body. Her breathing slowed as she was wrapped up in Nicole’s arms.  _ Nicole. _ She remembered. She remembered everything, but now she also had the very real feeling memory of those long minutes tied up in a carriage.  _ Too _ real.

“Waves, can you look at me?” She had almost forgotten that her eyes were closed, and a sigh escaped her lips when she opened them to gaze into Nicole’s. Her brown eyes glittered with unshed tears, and Waverly inadvertently reached up to brush away the few that had escaped and lingered near Nicole’s cheekbones. Nicole leaned into the touch, closing her eyes, and Waverly didn’t know what to do, her hand still lingering on the older woman’s face, but not wanting to remove it.

The decision was made for her when Nicole pulled away, her eyes drifting below Waverly’s face. She was suddenly aware of what Nicole was staring at, glancing down to see a flash of blue. She lifted her hand to touch it and felt the familiar shape of Willa’s necklace, which she hadn’t worn since Gus left.

“Wh-why…” Waverly didn’t know how to finish the question. She could vaguely remember the previous night, and although she had been in pretty bad shape, she was very sure that she hadn’t put on the necklace. So that could only mean that Nicole had found it and put it on her, which was peculiar at best.

“Don’t ask, Waves. It’s more than I can tell you.” Nicole said, her voice reserved but kind. “You will know soon, I promise. It is best that you do not hear it from me.”

“And when will I get the other answers? When will you tell me what’s going to happen or why you saved me or why you were able to leave town with a few hours notice at the whim of a girl.” Waverly challenged, slightly surprised by her own brashness.

“Soon, darling. Soon.”

“Nicole, do you promise?”

“I promise.”

\---

The two women rode out of town before dawn, neither willing to delay even despite Waverly’s fragile state not too far earlier. Nicole was worried, sure, but it wasn’t worth the risk. If Waverly passed out of exhaustion, then they could both ride on Atlas so that she could prevent the younger girl from falling off of the horse. 

So far, it seemed that no one had grown too suspicious, and Malcolm’s gang would be too slow to catch up to them if they kept up the current routine of leaving at dawn and riding until dusk. Nicole would be damned if she allowed her worry over Waverly’s wellbeing to put the both of them in danger.

And it seemed that Waverly had recovered. Wynonna was right, the necklace did seem to help with the particular difficulties of Waverly’s… situation. It had drawn her out of whatever terrible nightmare had left her sobbing and whimpering and whispering Nicole’s name. She shivered at the memory of Waverly’s still body, not seeming to register anything of the outside world, trapped in her own mind.

But now Waverly was riding beside her, once again calm and bright and lost in thought, staring out into the distance. She would be fine, Nicole reminded herself. Waverly would be delivered safely and taken care of, and Nicole could go back to her life before this particular mission. She could return to living by herself, to waking up without a certain gorgeous brunette beside her. It certainly didn’t sound all that pleasant at the moment, but she was used to being alone. And she had friends, of a sort.

But she knew in her heart that she would never again find someone who made her feel the way that Waverly Earp did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does Nicole have the answers to Waverly's questions? Probably.  
> Do I have the answers? Maybe.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	8. Capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly understands her feelings for Nicole, and things seem to be looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... It's been a while. I'm not dead, but some stuff happened that has improved a bit now. I probably won't be updating quite as often, hopefully about once a week. I missed writing this, and I'm really excited to continue.
> 
> This chapter has a lot going on in it, so I hope it will make up a little bit for how long I've been gone.
> 
> <3

The civil twilight was beginning to fade by the time the two women stopped for the night, at a city that was significantly larger than the town Waverly had lived in for most of her life.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been to a city before.” She marveled aloud as Nicole led her through the streets, which were filled with men on horseback, women holding baskets and ushering forward their young children, and slightly older children helping their mothers and herding small animals.

“Oh sweetheart, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Nicole’s arm tightened around Waverly’s waist for a moment, pulling her out of the path of a horse. “This is the closest you can get to a city around here, but maybe someday I can take you to a real one.”

Waverly’s heart skipped a beat.  _ Someday. _ Did Nicole actually want to stay in her life after all this was over?

“But in the meantime, how would you feel about buyin’ some new clothes?”

She was silent for a minute, until Nicole stepped out of the crowds and pulled Waverly with her.

“Waves, what is it?” Nicole gazed down at her with kind eyes.

“Nicole, I- I don’t have enough money.” She swallowed and looked down.

“I know. I’ll pay for you.” Nicole tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet the eyes of the woman who had been kinder to her than she deserved, “I can afford it, Waves, and I  _ want _ to.”

Waverly opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out. She breathed out slowly and tried again, “Thank you. That would be lovely.”

The older woman beamed down at her. “My pleasure, sweetheart.”

Nicole led her out into the street, weaving through the crowds, and Waverly was grateful for the arm around her that kept her at Nicole’s side. She had never even  _ seen _ this many people before, and being surrounded by so many strangers was overwhelming.

Nicole seemed to know her way around the streets, easily leading Waverly to a cobbled square with all sorts of folks hawking their wares, selling all things from pottery to vegetables to jewelry. 

Waverly spotted a glint of green out of the corner of her eye, stopping to gaze at a ring with a lovely green stone that reminded her of Nicole’s bright red hair and pale skin.

“That color would look lovely on you.” Nicole murmured from beside her. She blushed at the words and turned to see that Nicole had moved her attention to the side, to something she couldn’t see over the redhead’s shoulder, seemingly deep in thought. Nicole seemed to notice Waverly’s gaze and turned back to her with a smile before stepping away and continuing on.

They walked through most of the market, stopping at a building slightly removed from the street venders. Nicole held the door open for her, chivalrous as always, before following her into a large room filled with fabrics of all colors and dresses at various levels of construction.

A petite woman with olive skin and dark hair set down her shears and walked toward them wearing a friendly smile.

“What can I do for you ladies?”

“She needs some new dresses made, ma’am.” Nicole lightly pushed Waverly forward so that the seamstress could see her better.

The woman looked Waverly up and down, no doubt taking in the green that had faded to a near-gray color, and the way it hung loosely off of her body.

“What exactly are you looking for?”

Nicole and the seamstress both looked to Waverly, but she just shrugged. She hadn’t had the luxury of a new dress far too long, and she had no idea how one went about the process of procuring such a thing.

“I’ll just take some of your measurements then, dear. We can discuss the specifics after.”

Waverly nodded, and the seamstress stepped toward her, taking her by the shoulder and leading her to a door across the room. She turned back to look pleadingly at Nicole, who gave her an encouraging smile and made no move to follow.

The seamstress introduced herself as Anne, and Waverly responded in kind.

“What a pretty name. How did you two meet?” Anne asked cheerfully.

Waverly blinked in confusion. “What?”

“How did you and your handsome lady friend meet?” Waverly was silent, so Anne continued on. “You two seem like a lovely match.”

_ Oh.  _ Anne thought that Nicole was courting her, and, well… was she?

Waverly thought about the way that Nicole’s presence made her feel safe, about the way she craved Nicole’s touch, the way her heart swelled when Nicole smiled at her. She thought about the way Nicole’s face lit up when Waverly smiled at her, about how Nicole had consistently gone out of her way to be exceedingly kind to her, the way Nicole seemed to welcome her touch. She thought about the way she fit so perfectly into Nicole’s arms, and yes, it did seem that there was something there, something real.

“She hasn’t started courting you yet?” Anne’s voice startled her out of her thoughts, and she realized that she must have been silent for more than a few moments.

“I- We-” Waverly tried, but she couldn’t put together an explanation aloud.

“It’s obvious she has feelings for you, child. Take a chance on her, before life gets in the way.”

Anne smiled warmly at her, before changing the topic, and soon Waverly was distracted by thoughts of Nicole once again. She didn’t notice as Anne ran through all of her measurements, and in what felt like only a moment she was led back out to where Nicole stood, perusing a book of patterns that lay on one of the tables.

Nicole beamed at her, and Waverly stepped forward as if drawn by an invisible thread until she was close enough to feel the warmth of Nicole’s body. The redhead in question took her hand before turning to converse with Anne about fabrics and patterns and cost. Waverly knew that she ought to be paying some attention, but Anne’s words kept repeating in her mind.

_ Take a chance on her, before life gets in the way. _

And she knew that life would probably get in the way regardless, as it was wont to do, but maybe that didn’t matter. Maybe the fall would be worth the moment of flying.

“I’ll have them ready for you tomorrow morning, then.”

Anne’s words cut through her thoughts, and she knew somehow that even though tomorrow morning shouldn’t be the end of her time with Nicole, she had to make her move before then. 

Nicole smiled and tipped her hat to Anne, offering her arm to Waverly. Waverly took it, and was led out into the bustling street, contemplating how to “take a chance”, as Anne had said. She had never been courted before, unless one were to count Champ drunkenly groping her and asking her to run away with him, so she really had no idea how to go about it, especially with someone as breathtakingly gorgeous as Nicole.

She was tired from another day of riding, at the fastest pace the two horses could safely maintain, and caught up in her thoughts, and consequently was not paying much attention to her surroundings. She was only brought back to reality when Nicole stopped walking, and she looked up to see what appeared to be some sort of tavern.

“Waves, are you alright?” Waverly could hear the worry in Nicole’s voice.

“Yes, of course, just a bit tired.” She reassured.

Nicole’s expression said that she didn’t quite believe Waverly, but she remained silent, simply stepping forward and opening the heavy wooden door.

Waverly stepped through, trying to ignore the worry beginning to form in the pit of her stomach. She turned to glance behind her, suddenly feeling as if someone was watching her. But there was no one behind her, only Nicole stepping to her side and taking her hand.

Nicole showed something to a gruff looking older man, who gestured and said something that Waverly didn’t catch in the din of drunken shouts and gambling.

By the time they had arrived at the room, Waverly had all but forgotten about the peculiar feeling, her mind returning to the feeling of Nicole’s hand in hers.

She was suddenly so very aware of the fact that they were alone, although it wasn’t as if it was the first time they’d been alone in private before. But now she was so aware of the way Nicole’s eyes lingered on her, and she wondered how Nicole’s lips would feel against her own.

“Waves? Are you sure you feel okay?” Nicole asked, lifting a hand to touch her forehead, as if she was worried Waverly might be ill again. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

“I’m fine, just thinking about something.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

“Not particularly.” And she didn’t want to talk about it, not really. She just wanted to lean up and press her lips against Nicole’s. She was done with overthinking and worrying and second guessing. She just wanted to  _ act. _

So she did.

Nicole was frozen against her for a moment, and she was about to step away, sure that she had misjudged after all, but then she felt strong hands at her waist, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss as she placed her own hands on the sides of Nicole’s face.

Nicole’s tongue pressed against her lips, and she opened her mouth in response, matching the other woman’s sudden intensity. 

The movement of her hands to the front Nicole’s shirt was automatic, nearly subconscious, as if there was a part of her that knew exactly how to go about all of this. Waverly fumbled open the top two buttons before Nicole pushed her away, staring down at her with dark eyes.

“That was nice.” Waverly said once her breathing had slowed.

“Yeah?” Nicole asked, her mouth curling into a hopeful smile.

“Yeah.” Waverly smiled back at her. “Do you want to do it again?”

Nicole stepped farther away. “Yes, but not now. It will be dark soon, and I have a few errands to run before nighttime.” Waverly pouted at her, and Nicole just grinned wider in return. “We will continue this later, darling. You should rest.”

“Okay.” Waverly’s petulant expression melted away as Nicole pressed a kiss to her cheek, buttoned up her shirt, and winked at Waverly from the doorway.

Waverly smiled to herself as she readied for bed, and fell asleep almost immediately.

She dreamed of Nicole.

\---

The two men trod silently up the stairs and made their way to the room they had been instructed to find. The door opened with a creak, and the second of the men scowled angrily at his younger counterpart, but the girl only stirred slightly, her breathing steadying again in a matter of moments.

She woke only when she was unceremoniously dragged out of the bed, but it was too late. They carried her out of her room and out of the back door of the tavern, her screams muffled by the cloth over her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! It's about to get _very _exciting.__


	9. Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly meets her captors, and she discovers Nicole's motives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi my name is Raven and I never update on time.
> 
> Also- I'm not sure if any of this is making sense right now, but we're getting close to the supernatural shit, so that will maybe clear some things up.
> 
> But for now, more confusion.

Waverly woke in darkness, her hands tied behind her back, lying on a rough wooden floor.  _ The goddamn carriage. _

She groaned internally, this had been bad enough the first time, why did it have to happen again?

_ Now I just need to wake up. _

But that was easier said than done. She had woken up before because of Nicole, she didn’t know how to wake up without any tangible connection to the real world. Maybe the best course of action was to wait, and to try to figure out what was going on.

“Where am I?” Her voice was calm and curious as she spoke.

“Are you really bothering yourself with the details? You wanted to escape, did you not?” The voice was as cold and taunting as she remembered, but it felt closer somehow than it had before.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?” She tried again.

“ _ I _ don’t want anything from you. I was following orders, just like she was.”

Waverly wondered who  _ she _ was, but figured that there were more pressing questions.

“What orders?”

“There’s someone who wants you, who has been looking for you. She was supposed to bring you to him, but she seemed to be getting distracted.”

_ She was supposed to bring you to him. _

There was only one person who had brought her anywhere recently, and that person happened to be enigmatic and lacking in obvious motive.

But it couldn’t be her.

“Who is she?”

“I was told that you were clever, and yet you still don’t understand.” He sighed dramatically. “That’s enough for now.”

Something metallic collided with the side of her head and she collapsed onto the floor.

\---

Nicole opened the door quietly so as to not disturb Waverly, who she supposed was probably asleep. Sure enough, the room was dark, the candle on the bedside table unlit. Nicole walked slowly along the wall, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She brought a hand to her lips as vague shapes became visible in the room, remembering the way Waverly’s lips had felt against hers. She had hoped that Waverly felt the same way as she did, but she hadn’t known for sure until just a few hours prior.

But what did it mean for their relationship? Did Waverly want to be with her, or was this simply a pleasant way to pass the time as they traveled. Nicole knew that she wanted more, but it was difficult to discern what Waverly wanted.

She could finally see the full outline of the bed, and walked closer, looking to see which side Waverly had claimed.

But the bed was empty. The sheets were in disarray, and Waverly herself was nowhere to be seen. 

Nicole’s blood ran cold.

She hurried over to candle, touching it to discover that the wax was cold and hardened. The match shook in her fingers as struck it and lit the candle, looking around the room to find Waverly’s belongings near the bed.

She hadn’t taken anything with her, and had left in a hurry, which could have been caused by a multitude of circumstances, but Nicole had a sinking feeling as to the nature of her departure.

Nicole breathed in slowly to calm herself, squaring her shoulders against the rising panic. She needed to stay focused and level-headed if she was going to find Waverly.

And she had a very good guess as to where to look first.

\---

The world was stable when Waverly woke again, her head throbbing mercilessly and her arms aching from being tied behind her. She was in a round room lit around the perimeter by what seemed like hundreds of candles. There were no windows and seemingly no doors, and furniture or decorations of any kind other than the ring of candles, casting the room with a surreal glow.

She tried to remember how she had gotten there, and shivered when she remembered the second dream carriage ride.

Although at this point she wasn’t sure whether it was truly a dream, or whether it had actually occurred. Worse, she was no longer sure that there was a distinct difference between the two.

She also remembered being dragged out of bed, screaming for help and finding none. That memory was less vivid, but it still sent a stab of fear through her body.

It seemed that if this was a figment of her unconscious mind, it was quite an elaborate one. And if it wasn’t, then how had her dream from before so similar to a true experience that had happened after.

And if it was real, then that also meant that she couldn’t just try to wake up. She would have to find a more normal way to escape, which at the current moment seemed rather unlikely.

She was startled by sudden footsteps behind her, although she had been sure only a few moments earlier that there was no one else in the room with her. She resisted the urge to turn toward the noise, continuing to face forward and listening closely to the booted footsteps as they grew nearer to her.

She hadn’t clearly seen the face of either of the men who had abducted her, and didn’t quite recognize the voice in the carriage, so she had no clue as to who was holding her captive. Something told her it wasn’t Malcolm’s men, perhaps that any of them would have answered her first question back in the carriage. Keeping their identities secret just wasn’t their style.

However, she also wasn’t aware of anyone else who held ill will against her specifically. Perhaps it hadn’t been against her after all, maybe this had something to do with Nicole.

_ Nicole. _

Her stomach dropped as she was forced to humor the thought that she had been avoiding since she woke.

If this was real, and the man in the carriage hadn’t been misleading her, then Nicole was the reason for this after all. But not because someone was coming after Nicole. Rather, this had been part of the plan since the beginning.

Nicole hadn’t been trying to save her, she had rescued her from one bad situation only to lead her into one that was possibly worse.

The footsteps drew alongside her, walking past her and turning to face her.

The figure was familiar, and Waverly shivered under the ice blue gaze that was directed toward her.

“Hello, angel.”

“Bobo.” Waverly replied, her voice flat.

“Oh! So you do remember me. I’m flattered.”

Waverly didn’t honor his remark with a response, simply glaring back at him.

“I’m glad you’ve finally made it. I was worried, Haught seemed to be getting sidetracked.” Bobo smirked at her.

“So she was working for you.” Waverly struggled to keep her tone neutral and her face blank, not wanting to give Bobo the satisfaction of seeing the anger and betrayal that she felt.

“Of course she was. But I suppose I should have expected her to be distracted by a pretty girl. The poor fool.”

So Nicole hadn’t truly cared for her at all, all of her actions could be attributed to her mission for Bobo, or a simple physical attraction for Waverly, the girl who she was deceiving and planning to hand over to a psychopath. That blow hurt her in a way she hadn’t expected, and her face fell, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

Bobo smiled wider, his grin almost animalistic in nature.

“We still have a ways to travel, and we will be starting your training soon as well, so you should get some rest while you have the chance.”

Her  _ training? _ She opened her mouth to ask what the hell he was talking about, but he spoke first.

“Oh, and I think I’ll take this off of your hands.” Bobo reached forward, plucking Willa’s necklace from her throat.

And the world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally what am I doing.


	10. Sisters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly re-lives a near death experience, and nothing is ever as it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! It's been a while... again. Sorry.
> 
> Enjoy!

The winter air was frigid, wind whipping around her and sending spikes of cold under her skin. She pulled her coat tighter around her, clamping her jaw shut to stop her teeth from chattering. The air around her was hazy, and it took her a moment to realize where she was.

The lake.

She was four years old again, watching as Willa threw her teddy bear onto the ice with a wide smile, a smile that her younger self would have trusted. But now she could see the cruel glint in Willa’s eyes. The same glint that had been in her eyes the day she told Waverly to walk across the beam.

She had never understood why Willa was so cruel to her, and when she was little she had simply tried to ignore it. But she had never stopped wondering what had caused Willa to hate her so intensely at such a young age. Something terrible must have happened to instill so much hate into an innocent heart.

She tried to glue her feet to the ground, because she knew better than she had then, and because she’d had this nightmare before. She knew what happened next. But her body wasn’t hers, and didn’t respond to her demands in the slightest.

She ran out onto the lake, the ice creaking and shifting under her feet. But she was too light for it to break.

Yet.

She stopped when she reached her teddy bear, scooping him up into her arms, her mouth shifting into a smile that was a mockery of her panicked, racing mind. No matter how many times she re-lived the experience, it never became any less terrifying. She was never any less upset about the knowledge that Willa had tried to murder her when they were children.

Because that just isn’t something that a person gets over.

She tried to turn around or hold her breath, but again her body didn’t react. She stood stupidly far out on the lake, near the middle, where the ice was the thinnest. She knew that if she looked down, she could see the water flowing slowly under her feet, the ice nearly transparent.

It was only a few moments later when she heard splintering beneath her feet. She looked back at the shore, searching for Willa. But her oldest sister was nowhere to be seen.

She screamed as she plummeted under the ice, the noise cut off as she was surrounded by frigid water, the liquid filling her nose and mouth. She pressed her palms up against the ice above her, trying to feel for the hole where she had fallen through. She tried to hold her breath, but there was no air left in her lungs. She tried to breathe in, but was met only by the icy burn of water in her throat.

The world went dark around the edges. She was painfully aware of the harsh quiet and emptiness of the lake, and the fact that no one knew where she was, no one was looking for her.

It was a lonely way to die.

And this was usually where it ended, with the darkness taking over her vision and time slowing until her heart stopped.

But not this time.

She remained vaguely conscious, the thoughts of her child self taking over her adult mind, and found her thoughts drifting to Wynonna, the only loving family member she had left. Wynonna was a good older sister, and she would probably be sad at Waverly’s disappearance. Wynonna always stood up for her, had taken care of her since her mother left. She made Waverly feel as if she belonged to the family, as if she wasn’t an outsider.

And now Wynonna wouldn’t even know that she was dead. Surely she at least deserved to know what had happened.

And since she had no way to tell Wynonna with words, since her thoughts were the only thing she had left, she _wished._ She wished for Wynonna to know where she was, wished with all of her heart and mind and soul.

And with that taken care of, she embraced her end with open arms.

It was a heavy thought for a four year old, but adult Waverly knew that the thought wasn’t her own.

She wasn’t sad when the darkness took over.

There was nothing at all for what could have been moments or hours, no thoughts, no emotions, no heartbeat. Even the pervasive cold was gone.

And then a noise at the edge of her consciousness, and she was surrounded by blinding white light. She was lifted out of the lake, water running off of her numb skin.

She opened her eyes to see Wynonna sitting beside her on the bank of the lake, looking so much younger than Waverly remembered. Her eyes were an even brighter blue than Waverly remembered, and her face was already stained with tears, her eyes rimmed with red. She looked so small and frail. Just a young, scared girl, suddenly confronted with a nearly dead sister, with no knowledge as to how to save her.

And she didn’t even know what had nearly killed her. Waverly wondered what would have happened if Wynonna had known all those years ago what Willa had done. Would she have done anything about it, tried to protect Waverly? Would she even have believed it at all?

It didn’t matter though, because that time had passed. Wynonna had saved her, and Willa was gone.

Waverly pulled in a shaky breath, and she saw Wynonna’s face break into a teary smile before the darkness took over.

\---

Wynonna woke in a cold sweat, bolting upright and looking around frantically. She could still hear Waverly’s voice, her screams, and the image of her lying on the lakeshore, completely still, her face blue from the cold, was burned into the inside of her eyelids.

But it wasn’t real. Waverly was safe, and she would be home soon. Wynonna trusted Haught more than she even trusted herself, and Nicole had proven herself worthy countless times over the years they’d known each other.

And yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Waverly’s voice hadn’t sounded the same in her mind as it had when she was a young child, she realized. It hadn’t even sounded the same as when Wynonna had last heard it. No, this voice was Waverly as an adult.

Of course, knowing what she did about her sister, she had a suspicion as to why she was hearing a voice in her mind that she had never heard in her waking hours. But it couldn’t be that, not yet. Not when she had planned so carefully and taken everything into account. Not when she had done research and sent to anyone with any knowledge on the topic to make sure that her sister’s… unique abilities would remain dormant until she could learn to use them safely.

No, that couldn’t be it; it was probably just stress. After all, trouble had been stirring in Purgatory, and perhaps it was affecting her more than she would have expected.

Waverly is fine, Wynonna reassured herself.

Even so, she didn’t find sleep again that night, nor the next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this chapter is short and everything seems kind of slow, but I promise that it's going somewhere.


	11. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole returns to a place from her past and Waverly begins to learn the power of her words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna post this now... hope you like it.

The brass door knocker stared back at her, a human skull with rubies for eyes. The skull’s jaw was unhinged, resting against the heavy oak door. Nicole’s hand hovered a few inches away, apprehensive in spite of the fact that she had done this hundreds of times. She had to incline her head slightly downward to see the glint of red, but she could remember a time when she had to stand on the tips of her toes to reach the skull.

_“Go ahead, knock.”_

_The little girl reached up with one small hand, slipping her fingers between the skull’s jaw and the door. She pulled the cold metal away from the door until the teeth clicked together into a cruel smile and was starting to tug her hand away when the ruby eyes blazed down at her, the color of freshly spilled blood, glowing with an unnatural luminescence. She stood, transfixed, for what could have been seconds or minutes or hours. Without warning, the eyes flashed a blinding white and the metal burned against her hand. She yelped and quickly withdrew her hand._

_There was a soft laugh from behind her. “Ah, a pure soul. Don’t fret, child, you won’t be one for much longer.”_

Nicole blinked a few times to clear the image from her mind. She took in a deep breath and reached out to lift the door knocker, staring into its eyes until the rubies turned to a dark crimson. The metal stayed cold against her hand, and the breath leached out of her lungs. She tried to ignore the painful twisting of her heart in her chest. After all, she had a job to do.

The door swung open silently, revealing a dark corridor. Nicole stepped inside, the door closing behind her before four candles burst into life, one on each side of her and another set a few meters down the corridor. As she walked, the candles behind her went out, and another set in front of her flickered on, surrounding her in a ring of candlelight that held off whatever monsters may have lain in the dark. There were numerous hallways branching off along the way, but she didn’t even glance at them, laser focused on her target.

The hallway ended in a circular room, with five other corridors leading out of it, each seemingly identical to the one she had entered through, and all perfectly, evenly spaced apart.

Anyone unfamiliar with the area would immediately get lost in the endless hallways, many of which seemed to lead to nowhere. But Nicole was no stranger to this labyrinth.

_The little girl walked into the center of the room, turning in a circle to survey each hallway in turn, as if she could see where each led to if only she stared long enough. But each hallway revealed only darkness._

Nicole entered the second hallway on the left, following it through a series of twists and turns, walking past numerous unmarked doors. Finally, she stopped in front of a plain wooden door as unremarkable as all the others.

She pressed her left palm flat against the door. An inky black line traveled up from the tip of her index finger to the back of her wrist, where it was joined by four other lines. The lines snaked down her arm, twisting and turning and crossing over each other until they stopped near her elbow.

The door opened, and the mark on her arm vanished. The room revealed was spacious and dark, furnished with a large writing desk and a few armchairs. Nicole crept past them to another door, this one carved with elaborate designs and sporting a smooth silver doorknob.

The bedroom was pitch black, quiet except for the slow inhale and exhale of her target. The dagger at her belt slid from its sheath with a whisper of steel, and she pressed it lightly against the sleeping man’s throat. He woke with a start, eyes blazing up at her as he registered the blade on his neck. Nicole caught his gaze immediately.

“What the fuck do you think you’re-”, he began indignantly.

Nicole’s voice was barely above a whisper as she cut him off. “I need you to tell me something, okay?” He relaxed noticeably as her serpentine voice reached his ears.

“Yes.” The man’s voice was flat, monotone, and his eyes were dull and vacant.

“Where is Waverly Earp?”

\---

Waverly’s eyes flew open, her chest heaving. Her clothes were dry and the room was surprisingly warm, but she could still feel the cold deep in her bones. Her vision was littered with bright dots and lines, laid out nonsensically along the curved wall in front of her. She blinked to clear them away, but instead of disappearing they grew, joining together and splitting apart, snakes of golden light crawling along the walls around her.

There was something deeply disquieting about it all. Perhaps it was the way some of the designs on the wall had formed shapes reminiscent of eyes, as if the walls were watching her. Perhaps it was the way the room felt… occupied, as if someone or some _thing_ was in there with her. Even the silence felt heavy, sinister. Perhaps it was all of those things, and more.

Or perhaps it was nothing at all.

Waverly blinked again, deliberate and slow, and the room returned to its previous state. Even though the eyes had disappeared, she could still feel them watching her, malevolent and ominous.

The fear was beginning to well up in her chest, squeezing her lungs, tighter and tighter, until she was gasping for breath. Her head spun and she closed her eyes to ground herself. But instead of darkness, she was greeted by the image of a tall brunette, pacing back and forth beside a large table covered in papers, her hand resting uneasily on the gun at her hip. The woman turned toward Waverly, revealing her face.

There was a confused twisting in her gut, because it almost looked like-

No, she reminded herself, opening her eyes to avoid looking at that oddly familiar face for too long, it wasn’t real. She didn’t really know what was real, but surely a vision of her long lost sister was not.

But the room was swimming in front of her eyes, her vision catching on images of everything and nothing at once. So, reluctantly, she closed her eyes again, squeezing them shut as if that would be enough.

It wasn’t.

This time, she knew exactly who she was looking at even before seeing the woman’s face. A flash of red hair was visible under her hat and she held herself tall and proud. Even her walk, even _now,_ was so unmistakably _Nicole._ There was something _magnetic_ about her, although of course that wasn’t the reason that Waverly kept watching. She just wanted to keep her eyes closed a bit longer, and she could open them whenever she wanted to.

Or so she told herself.

She watched as Nicole’s arm lit up against the door.

_It’s not real._

She watched Nicole creep through the darkness, her heart jumping into her throat as Nicole drew a wicked looking dagger. Somehow, she was still surprised, still couldn’t fathom Nicole hurting or killing an innocent man in his sleep.

And it wasn’t real. It wasn’t real.

But Nicole didn’t kill him. With the dagger still resting on his throat, she spoke. Even though Waverly couldn’t hear her, she found that she had a sense as to what Nicole was saying. She could practically _feel_ the cool, threatening tone, and was not at all surprised when the man’s body went slack, his eyes glassy.

His mouth moved mechanically to respond, and Nicole’s eyes widened at his words. Her hand trembled where it held her dagger. The blade nicked the man’s throat, drawing blood, but neither him nor Nicole seemed to care.

Nicole’s eyes hardened, her grip tightening, and-

Waverly’s eyes flew open at the sound of footsteps. There was a man approaching her, tall and broad shouldered, watching her impassively. She remembered waking up to him staring down at her with a twisted smile, before dragging her out of her bed and into a living nightmare.

He was closing in on her, looming in front of her, and an animal instinct deep inside her told her to _run away._ So, even though she knew it was futile, she mustered all of the strength in her tired, starved, bruised body to push herself backward, away from him. He just chuckled as her feet scrambled for purchase on the floor, inching away from him. Until, of course, she collided with something, and a pair of arms pulled her roughly to her feet.

Visions long forgotten, Waverly tried to think of something, _anything,_ that could help her escape. Or, failing that, a way to put up a proper fight rather than waiting placidly for her fate. Her arms were tied too tightly to be of any use, and her legs were struggling to even support her own weight, so there was no physical way to free herself from the strong grip on her arms. It seemed that the only thing she could do was glare angrily, and perhaps hurl some choice insults. Maybe that was better than nothing.

But then she had a better idea. Or rather, a crazier one, but she had nothing to lose, and some part of her insisted that it would work.

“Get your hands off of me.” Her voice broke under the weight of the first two words, but the rest came out sounding far more confident and commanding than she felt.

The grip on her shoulders loosened for just a moment.

She tried again, twisting to make eye contact with the man behind her. “Let go of me.”

She felt that weight in her words, again, but heavier this time, as if they were not words but something physical carried by her voice.

His hands were gone a moment later. His eyes locked onto hers, not quite blank, but soft and open in a childish sort of innocence.

Waverly backed up slowly, legs wobbly from disuse, careful to maintain eye contact.

She had only moved a few feet when a cloth was pulled tight over her eyes. She felt the tether of her gaze snap as if it was an actual rope stretching between them.

“Your witchcraft isn’t going to help you.” Large, calloused hands pulled her in, and Waverly tried not to react as he stepped closer, until his body was pressed against her. “And if I were you, I wouldn’t try that again. ” A hand moved to her neck, fleeting but heavy with threatening intent. “We’re not allowed to kill you, but there are plenty of… non lethal options.” She felt hot breaths against the side of her face as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “So I would suggest that you keep your pretty mouth shut before I find another use for it.”

Waverly couldn’t help the unpleasant shiver that ran down her spine at his words.

There was a harsh laugh from behind her. “Well then, I think we are in agreement.”

\---

Nicole ran back down the corridor, her breaths escaping her lips in short, harsh pants. Time was of the essence, and she had not a second to spare. She _had_ to get to Waverly in time, because Bobo didn’t understand what he was doing, didn’t understand the potential consequences.

And because there was a part of her that had grown increasingly fond of Waverly Earp over their time together.

Oh, who was she kidding. She was head over heels in love with the girl.

This corridor ended abruptly in front of a paneled wall, covered from top to bottom in signs and marks. The focus, however, was a pair of two snakes rearing their heads, fangs exposed.

Nicole shivered at the cold, dead gazes of the snakes, her fists clenching. This was always an unpleasant experience.

She leaned against the wall, pulling her dagger out and preparing to make a slash across her left hand-

And abruptly fell backward as the doors swung open.

Nicole kept her dagger out as she scrambled to her feet and walked farther in, preparing to fight off anyone else who might be in there with Waverly.

Except Waverly was nowhere to found. Instead, a tall, red haired woman stood across from Nicole.

“Ma?”


End file.
